NEWS
University of Bahrain Launches First International Conference on Digital Humanities, Featuring 57 Papers from 14 Countries
The University of Bahrain launched the first International Conference on Digital Humanities on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, under the title “Humanities and Digital Transformation: A Future Vision” (HDTC 2026). The conference drew wide scholarly participation from Arab and international universities and was jointly organized by the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research and the Colleges of Arts, Engineering, and Information Technology at the University of Bahrain.
The conference aims to stimulate and guide dialogue among researchers, educators, and decision-makers on how digital innovation can be integrated into and applied across the humanities. Drawing on theories of digital media, culture, and education, it emphasizes that digital platforms are not neutral tools but cultural systems shaped by economic, political, and ideological forces.
Participants came from 14 countries. Of the 100 research papers submitted by Arab and international universities, 57 were accepted.
Held online, the conference placed artificial intelligence within broader theoretical debates on automation, authorship, and cultural production, examining it as both an important tool for knowledge production today and a mechanism that may reinforce standardization and efficiency-driven logic.
The conference examined social media and digital platforms as a contemporary extension of the culture industry, given their role in shaping storytelling, design, literature, and public discourse. It also raised important questions about authority, representation, and cultural power in the digital age and beyond. These topics were discussed alongside digital humanities initiatives, which play a key role in preserving and promoting cultural diversity, yet operate within global digital infrastructures that privilege certain forms of knowledge and visibility.
The two-day conference featured the following keynote speakers: Prof. Meghan McInnis-Dominguez, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages, University of Delaware, United States. Dr. Mohammed Fekry, Associate Professor of Architecture, University of Business and Technology, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Manjet Kaur A/P Mehar Singh, Associate Professor, Pusat Pengajian Bahasa, Literasi & Terjemahan, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Dr. Mohammed Aboelenein, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the American University in the Emirates, United Arab Emirates. Professor Abdullah bin Khamis Al-Ambusaid, Professor of Science Education, College of Arts and Humanities Sciences, A’sharqiyah University, Oman.
